Two Israeli ministers visit Tunis in November
Tunisia-Israel, Politics, 9/5/2005

An Israeli official announced on Sunday that the Israeli foreign minister Silvan Shalom and the minister of communications Dalia Ishaq will visit Tunisia in November to take part in the world summit on telecommunications.

The Tunisian President Zine al-Abidin Ben Ali had invited the prime minister Ariel Sharon in February to visit Tunisia in order to take part in the meeting.

Tunisia justified this call as an invitation for attending a conference organized by the UN and attended by representatives from all parts of the world.

The Tunisian opposition rejected this justification and organized several demonstrations in protest to Sharon's invitation. A group calling itself "the Islamic Jund al-Islam Jihad -- Oqba Bin Nafe contingent" threatened to use queues of booby trapped cars and to "convert foreign embassies to ponds of bloods."

In 1996, both Tunisia and Israel exchanged low level diplomats. However, in November 2000, Tunisia froze these relations in protest of the oppression by Israel of the Palestinian Intifada.

The two countries kept contacts in the political, economic, sport and cultural areas, and in 2004 Tunisis permitted the Israelis to fly directly to Tunisia without passing though Europe nor having to leave their passports with the borders police.

Previous Stories:
  Jewish pilgrims commends inviting Sharon to Tunisia   (5/28/2005)
  Tunisian police bans a demonstration against Sharon's visit   (4/9/2005)
  Tunisia denies intention to organize air flights to Israel   (4/2/2005)

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